New York Injury Talk Blog

In a story reported by the New York Times, Architect, Robert Woo was seriously injured last December in a New York construction accident at the Goldman Sachs office tower, when a nylon sling failed causing seven tons of metal studs to fall crushing a construction trailer.

Two trailers were hit; about a quarter of the load hit the trailer where Mr. Woo was sitting, which was being used as an office, an official said. The Department of Buildings halted work on the office tower, but they partially reopened the site for further construction a day later.

The Times reported, that a spokeswoman for the Buildings Department Robin Brooks indicated that an investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the accident. Immediately after the New York crane accident, it was believed that a nylon sling snapped allowing the seven tons of steel to fall 13 floors. The Buildings Department issued four violations days after the accident. Violations were issued to the Tishman Construction Corporation, responsible for managing the site, at 200 Murray Street for unsafe hoisting conditions; failure to safeguard the public and property during construction operations; failure to maintain vertical netting along the sides of the building; and failure to provide toe boards, which prevent material from being pushed off the side of a building or into a shaftway. Richard M. Kielar, a spokesman for Tishman, said the project’s safety record has been excellent.